New Postage Rates in May!

It's an annual kind of thing...

Just in time for Valentine's Day, the Postal Service slipped a little present in a heart-shaped envelope and sent it to us..via UPS, because of course non-dimensional mail must be rectangular in shape in accordance with DMM 601 1.2.2b, unless prepared as Customized Market Mail under 705.1.0. Anyway, it wasn't candy they sent...it was brand new postage rates. And, as luck would have it, it turns out those rates are going to be higher. Who knew? Anyway, you might want to scoot up to your local post office and load up on Forever Stamps while you can still get them for 41 cents. After May 12, 2008, that Forever Stamp is going to cost you 42 cents. Want to place any bets about 2009?

The Postal Service has made it clear that they plan on adjusting rates every year in May, in accordance with the new regulatory structure. This new rate process removes most review of rates...no more everybody suing everybody for ten months. USPS says they plan on charging, and the Postal Regulatory Commission says "ok." It’s really very much like my family life - under the old regime, the Postal Service was like my teenage kid - and I was like the Postal Rate Commission. The Postal Service (my teenager) said they wanted more money...threatened to turn blue, had a fit...but I (the Postal Rate Commission) reviewed what they wanted...looked thoughtful...shared some wisdom...and then gave them pretty much what they wanted, but with some tiny variations so they would know they had been "parented" ("regulated" in the postal vernacular.) Under the new system, I am now the Postal Regulatory Commission...the Postal Service is my wife. Not so much wisdom sharing or looking thoughtful required.

These new rates represent about a 2.5% increase on First-Class letter mail. Additional ounces were not increased, so the rate change is less for heavier First Class letters. As always, it’s a bit more complex on Standard rates. For automated mail the increase is generally 2% - 3.5%, although it approaches 8% in some non-automated categories. We’ll have complete rate charts on the ProList web site in the coming days. The moral of the story - Automate your mail! Fortunately, ProList can do that for you (whew!)

Happy Valentines Day!

ProList Fulfillment Services

Helping Clients Reduce Costs...

In addition to providing outstanding data and mail processing services, ProList serves many clients with a variety of fulfillment services. Some of the most common are premiums, literature and various types of kits. With the recent changes in classification specifications and rates by the USPS, ProList has successfully helped a number of clients reduce their fulfillment costs.

These successes have occurred by ProList outsourcing fulfillment services that the clients had previously been doing in-house and by being able to help clients redesign packages and their components so they can be produced and mailed at lower costs. In one instance, the company was able reduce a client’s cost of producing and mailing their new member kit from over $3.00 per kit to $.78 per kit. This dramatic savings involved advising the client on redesigning components so they were less expensive to produce while retaining comparable quality and information, and significantly reducing their postage expense. ProList outsourced the fulfillment of these kits which had previously been handled internally.

Prolist helps many clients with premium fulfillment that involves a wide array of different items including hats, shirts, flashlights, lapel pins, books, backpacks, tools, etc. The first step in determining how ProList might help you with your fulfillment needs is to get a free analysis of your current fulfillment process. To receive your own free analysis of fulfillment costs, please contact Randy Shingler, General Manager at (301) 924-4545 X-1093 or rshingler@prolist.com.